Macworld Masterclass: Share your world with Pinterest

Get to grips with Pinterest - the social network of the moment

By
Alice Ross
| 03 Apr 12

Intro1

Step 1: Getting started2

Step 2: Board games3

Step 3: Cut and paste4

Step 4: Picture perfect5

Step 5: Label it6

Step 6: Surf boards7

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Step 1 of 7: Intro

Halfway between Facebook and a scrapbook, Pinterest has gained a massive following in record time. And it’s easy to see why – it’s a simple, visually enticing noticeboard where you can share whatever has caught your eye. Think of it as a photo-driven version of Twitter. Any images you grab from websites will retain their original link, meaning it can act as a springboard to your favourite blogs and sites.

There’s an official Pinterest iPhone app, which enables you to take photos and share them while you’re out and about, and you can also create a bookmarklet to save images from websites and blogs.

Vital Info

What you need

Halfway between Facebook and a scrapbook, Pinterest has gained a massive following in record time. And it’s easy to see why – it’s a simple, visually enticing noticeboard where you can share whatever has caught your eye. Think of it as a photo-driven version of Twitter. Any images you grab from websites will retain their original link, meaning it can act as a springboard to your favourite blogs and sites.

There’s an official Pinterest iPhone app, which enables you to take photos and share them while you’re out and about, and you can also create a bookmarklet to save images from websites and blogs.

Vital Info

What you need

Step 2 of 7: Step 1: Getting started

For the moment, Pinterest is invite-only, but you can request one from the home page (pinterest.com). Set up an account, and you’ll be offered the chance to sync this with Facebook, Twitter and so on, to find friends who are already members.

Step 3 of 7: Step 2: Board games

Boards are the themed collections into which you can pin whatever’s caught your eye. Tap Add to create a board, and give it a name. Choose one of Pinboard’s categories, and anything you put on that board will show up in a themed stream.

Step 4 of 7: Step 3: Cut and paste

Pinterest comes into its own for clipping and sharing images from websites or blogs. Tap Pin It to get pinning: you can copy and paste the URL of the page hosting the image you’re after, or install the bookmarklet into Safari.

Step 5 of 7: Step 4: Picture perfect

Whether you use the bookmarklet or paste in a URL, Pinterest gathers all the photos it can use from the page and invites you to choose the photo you were after. Save the image to your Photos folder and upload it from there.

Step 6 of 7: Step 5: Label it

Select the Board you want to pin to and add a caption. The app’s guidelines urge you to credit your source. It’s worth noting that Pinterest is a grey area when it comes to copyright, although increasing numbers of blogs are adding Pin It buttons.

Step 7 of 7: Step 6: Surf boards

The boards and people you follow show up in your stream, or you can browse the themed collections. Tap on a user’s name to pick which of their boards you want to follow, or tap the photo to Like, Comment or Repin it so your own followers see it.